Railroad-signal



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheret 1'.

R. D. ANDERSON. RAILROAD SIGNAL'.

` N0.. 370,917. .Patented 0,017'. 4, 1887..

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(No Model.)

R. D. ANDERSON.

' RAILROAD SIGNAL.

Patented Oc''l 4, 1887.

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UNITED STATES dPATENT OEErcE.

ROBERT DUNBAR ANDERSON, OF ETHEL, LOUISIANA.

RAILROAD-slome SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. '370.917, dated October 4, 1887.

Application filed March 3l, 1.887. Serial No; 233,154. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT DUNEAR AN- DERsoN, of Ethel, in the parish of East Feliciana and State of Louisiana, have invented a new and Improved Railroal-Signal, of which the following is a clear, full, "and exact description.

. My invention relates to a railroadsignal for holding or notifying trains at any telegraphstation, and has for its object to provide a simple and positive signal, whereby when 'a dispatch is receivedto hold a train the operator may, without leaving the office and while receiving the dispatch, set the necessary signal at the track, and wherein, further, it will be rendered practically certain that the operator will set the signal to stop before writing the order.

The invention consists in the construction aud combination of several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed lout in the claims.

Reference is to be had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is an elevation of the signal set to stop a train. Fig. 2 is a partial central and vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 illustrates the mode of attachment of the clip to the operatingcord and means for retaining the clip and cord in a position at which the signal will indicate safety Fig. lisadetail view of the forked catch for clip and hook. .Fig 5 is a horizontal section through the lantern, and

Fig. 6 is a partial vertical section of the sig-- nal with the flag rolled up.

A represents a platform or body of the sig nal, adapted to be attached at a proper height to any convenient support near the track, in view therefrom either up or down.

A lantern-house, B, is mounted centrally upon the platform, provided with opposing white lenses a, one showing up and theother down the track. Within the lantern-house B a circular turn-table, b, is pivoted in the platform or body A, having a peripheral groove, b. Centrally upon the said turn-table the lamp C is xed, and upon opposite sides of said lamp, and also fixed to the turntable, vertical frames D are provided, adapted to hold colored glass, the said glass being so positioned thatpnormally the white lenses will not be obstructed, as the colored glass will remain at right angles to said lenses.

.Longitudinally and centrally beneath the body A a roller, E, is journaled, provided at one end with integral drums d d', and between the inner ange of the inner drum, d, and the opposite end flange of the roller a curtain, F, is hung, preferably red, and provided with a weight, f, longitudinally of the bottom edge, as shown in Fig. 2.

Over the inner drum,d, upon the platform A, pulleys d2 are journaled in suitable bearings, the said bearings being so placed as that the faces of the pulleys will be at an inclination from each other and in tangential align-ment with the groove b in the turn-table b. A cord, G, isattached at one end to the drum d, the otherY end being passed up through an aperture, g, aligning one pulley d2, over said pulley, around the turn-table in the groove b', then over the second pulley d2, and down through another aligning aperture, g, whereupon the cord is wound a number of times around the drum d and the free end secured thereto. Ihus both ends of the cord Gare attached to the drum d.

To admit a circulation of air to the lanternhouse B, vent-holes b2 may be made in the platform A within the four corners of the house, as shown in Fig. 5, and the said house is slotted transversely upon one side for the passage of the cords G, a suitable casing, G', being hinged to said house above the said slot to protect the cording and pulleys d2 from the weather, as illustrated in Fig. 6. At each side of the lantern-house apertures 7L are made in the platform, in which the poles It of signal-flags may be placed, if desired.

An operating-cord, H, is attached to the drum d', which, passing up through an aperture in the platform, is carried over a pulley, h2, attached to the outer wall of the telegraphoffice, or building. in which the telegraph-instrument is situated, and from said pulley h2 erably situated over the operators desk. The' end of the cord is passed through a small aper- IOC) ture in a horizontal bracket, H', secured to the wall, and then provided with a hook, K, the bracket thereby acting as a brake or stop for the said cord. The bracket is so elevated as that when the hook K is in engagement therewith sufficient cord will have played out to allow the curtain F to completely unroll.

Immediately over the operators desk K', as shown in Fig. 1, a forked bar, 7c, is horizontally secured, having a convex projection, la', in its forked end. The hook K is tdrawn down through the forked end of the bar at the convex point, and the manifold-clip M of the operator is attached to the hook, whereby the curtain is rolled and the white light shown, the said manifold-clip being the receptacle in which the operators blank train-orders are kept. The hook cannot be held in the catch except the clip is attached to the hook to prevent it from passing through the forked bar. Therefore, when the clip is removed by the operator to receive an order, the hook is free and the danger-signal will automatically be set by the weight in the curtain. It will be seen that the clip cannot be taken from the hook without drawing the hook clear out of engagement with the forked bar and then unhooking the clip.

The operation is as follows: An orderis received by the operator, who takes down the clip to engross the same. This action frees the cord that holds the ag in a rolled position, and the roller being freed the weight of the curtain or flag will automatically unwind the same. The unwinding of the flag causes the roller to revolve, and the revolution ofthe roller causes the turntable inside the' lanternhouse, upon which the light and colored glass are placed, to revolve a quarter-turn,whereby at once and in an instant there is displayed to full view, both Ways of thetrack, an eighteeninch Hag and colored lights.

It will be observed that an order cannot be taken for a train without taking down the manifold-clip, and the clip cannot be taken down without unwinding the flag, and the flag cannot be unrolled without turning the turntable upon which the colored glass is placed and giving a colored light, thereby rendering it an impossibility to receive an order for a train and neglect to display the signal, as has been done, often causing serious lossof life and property.

Suitable guides may bc attached to the operating-cord, so that the same will be eased and directed in its ascent when released from t-he clip.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by'Letters Patent- 1. The eombination,with the operating-cord of a railroad-signal, of a clip detachably attached to the end thereof within a telegraphofice, and means for retaining said clip and cord in a xed position, setting the signal at safety,7 substantially as shown and described, whereby the signal is automatically operated by the detachment of said clip and release of the cord to display a danger or stop signal, as set forth.

2. The ccmbination,with the operating-cord of a railroad-signal, of-a clip detachably attached to the end thereof within a telegraphoffice, and a forked barsccured above the operators desk adapted to retain said cord and clip in a position at which the signal will indicate safety, substantially as shown and described, whereby the signal is automatically operated to display a danger-signal by the detachment of said clip and release of the cord, as set forth.

3. The combination, with a turn-table pivoted in the lantern-house, carrying alamp and colored glass adapted to register with thelantern-lenses, and a roller carrying a dangersignal flag connected and operating simultaneously with said turn-table, of an operatingcord leading in a telegraph-otlice through a stop-bracket in said office, a forked bar secured above the operators desk, and an operators clip detachably attached to said operatingcord held in position by said bar, substantially as shown and described, whereby the danger-signal inthe lantern and upon the roller is rendered certain to be set before the transcript and delivery of the train-message, as set forth.

ROBERT DUN BAR ANDERSON.

Vitnesses:

S. B. MORGAN, G. D. SIMPSON. 

